Provençal Vegetables with Truffle

Peel the carrots and the turnips, leaving 2 inches (5 cm) of the tops attached.

Remove the fronds and the outer skin from the fennel.

Remove the roots and the dark green ends of the leaves from the leeks and the shallots.

Remove the roots from the radishes, and trim the tops as with the carrots and turnips.

Shell the peas and the baby broad beans. Stalk the snow peas and the dwarf beans.

Remove the pistil from the zucchini blossom.

Remove the leaves from the artichokes. Peel and remove the choke. Quarter and place in water acidified with some ascorbic acid.

Cut the asparagus, leaving just 2 inches (5 cm) of the tips.

Great care should be taken when washing, draining or handling the vegetables. As they are all young vegetables they can be damaged easily.

Cook the peas, the baby broad beans, the asparagus tips, the snow peas, and the dwarf beans separately in boiling salted water. The vegetables should remain firm. Cool separately in ice water, and drain on a stainless steel draining rack as soon as they are cold.

Heat 6 3/4 fluid ounces (20 cl) of olive oil in a saucepan large enough to contain all the vegetables without having to pile them one on top of the other.

Once the oil is hot, add the remaining vegetables with the exception of the radishes, which must be cooked separately (in the same fashion) to avoid staining the other vegetables. Season with salt, cover, and cook until the vegetables are a light golden brown.

When all of the water has evaporated, pour in enough chicken stock to barely cover the vegetables. Continue cooking, stirring gently from time to time.

As soon as the vegetables are almost cooked, remove the saucepan lid, add the pre-cooked green vegetables, the crushed truffle, the olive oil, and a dab of butter. Simmer all the vegetables together so that the truffle releases its flavor. In this way the green vegetables will finish cooking, and the cooking juice will become emulsified with the oil to create a creamy sauce.

Arrange the vegetables attractively in soup plates. Add the radishes.

Add the balsamic and sherry vinegars to the cooking juices, and season as needed. Pour a generous amount of the sauce onto the vegetables, sprinkle with fleur de sel, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.